Follow cross-repository interactions in CTK

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1. Connect the relevant repositories

Connect the local repositories you want to investigate. At least two are needed for a cross-repository relation. Give them meaningful local names so you can recognize each side in the view.

Start the relevant watches to collect fresh service observations. Grouping repositories does not start their workloads or manufacture historical interaction records.

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2. Create a relation group

Open Relational from the workspace sidebar, choose New relation, enter a name and select the connected repositories that belong in this investigation. Choose Create relation.

A group controls the repositories you explore together. It is not a network connection, a deployment boundary or a grant for an AI client. MCP scope is approved separately in Settings.

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3. Check whether evidence exists

Open Explore interactions. Inspect Events and Interactions rather than assuming a line in the overview represents a successfully completed request. CTK can read relation declarations from .ctk/relation.json and locally recorded statements.

A declaration names a direction, service, carrier and channel. CTK can also discover possible local routes from repository configuration, such as a matching localhost caller and listening port. Configuration evidence still does not prove a request occurred. A matching route requires compatible evidence on both repositories. Correlated interaction records additionally need a shared nonempty key. If your application does not provide such records, the honest result can be an empty interaction view.

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4. Follow one correlation key

Use Correlation key to focus on one recorded operation instead of mixing unrelated transactions. Compare the sending and receiving sides, their service identities and their times. All transactions returns to the broader view.

A matched send and receive establish correlation in these records. They do not prove payment settlement, successful inventory reservation or any other business outcome. A declaration is weaker evidence than a recorded matched exchange.

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5. Investigate a gap without guessing

Use Issues to inspect gaps or conflicting statements and return to the supporting records. A missing matching record may mean incomplete instrumentation or missing collection; it does not by itself prove a dropped network packet.

If you need new instrumentation, add it through your own development workflow. CTK does not edit the repository to generate missing evidence. After changes, observe a fresh operation and compare both sides again.

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What success looks like

You can identify the repositories in scope, the declared channel and the records supporting a particular interaction. Your conclusion distinguishes “configured to communicate,” “matching records exist” and “the operation succeeded.”